Charging batteries when on anchor

[Q Xopa]

Originally Posted by john61ct

So can you rig an adjustable Open setpoint, to let it get to a higher temp, when you know that's needed?

Hmmm Im not sure how you would do this? Can you explain how you impliment this in practise?

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

A64,thanks for posting that dreary but very informative report. It supports what lots of folks have been saying... high idle low load running isn't really the kiss of death. Good to have an objective analysis of the subject.

One thing stood out for me: we are often told how awful high temps in the engine box/room are, but here they are saying that warmer intake air is a really GOOD thing! Maybe my rather small volume engine box and consequent warm to hot intake air is why my engine is in such good nick with >5k hours and considerable low load running. I think that I'll dump my plans for bettering the ventilation there!

Thanks again... that report may be a bit dated, but then so are the engines we mostly run! (And our bodies too!)

Jim

Jim, ideal world is warm or even hot when unloaded, but cool when under load, so perhaps a switch on a blower? Or thermostatically controlled?
Most at least larger Terrestrial Diesels have an oil cooler that is cooled by the engines coolant. In truth they are at least as much oil heaters as oil coolers, cause during periods of low load it’s hard to get a Diesel to even come up to operating temp.

Getting an engine up to operating temp, especially the oil is the “trick” to extended low load operation.
It’s why a lot of tour busses and other vehicles that sit for extended times not moving, have high idles, to keep the engine warm.

Probably the biggest real reason not to use your motor for battery charging is that a motor only has x number of hours in it, and spending say ten of those hours every week on battery charging, it may be a better idea to off load those hours onto something like a Honda suitcase generator and save your engine hours for moving the boat.

It’s always better in my opinion to operate and engine under a load, but as you say for an engine that is past the break in phase and is well on its way on the wear out phase, extended low load operations are not necessarily the kiss of death.
Don’t do it on a new engine of course.